The Life of Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance
Artist

Few men have inspired so much speculation in the world
of art over the past five hundred years as has the
quintessential Renaissance man, Italian Renaissance
artist, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Unique among
Italian Renaissance artists, art historians know da Vinci
as a multi-talented individual, a polymath, skilled as a painter,
draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer. The words
“scientist” and “thinker” should surely be added to that
list as well.

Popular still today, the paintings and drawings created
during the life of Leonardo da Vinci are often seen in art
prints and reproductions. Da Vinci’s study of human proportion,
Vitruvian
Man, graces the pages of books written in many fields,
a testament to the wide-reaching thoughts the image inspires
not only to Italian Renaissance art lovers, but to mankind as
well.

His art works attest to Leonardo da Vinci’s lifelong study
of man and nature. Like Italian Renaissance artist, Michelangelo, da
Vinci sometimes dissected corpses secretly to perfect his
understanding of anatomy and improve his fine art skills. He
also dissected animals, human dissection not being readily
available and strongly prohibited by the church during the time
of this Italian Renaissance artist. Da Vinci’s claim to be an
expert in military engineering and weapons may even have
offered opportunity for human study on the battlefield.

During the life of Leonardo da Vinci, patronage never seemed
to be lacking, although his patronwere not exclusively
interested in only sponsoring his art. According to
Giorgio Vasari, biographer and historian of many prominent
Italian Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and
Raphael, da Vinci
was as much sought out for his wit and charm as for his mastery
of art painting. The city of Florence, where da Vinci spent his
early adulthood was a cultural maelstrom of craftsmen, artists,
and wealthy patrons. It is no surprise then that it was here
that so many Italian Renaissance artists arose. Leonardo
himself was apprenticed at a young age to master goldsmith and
sculptor Andrea Verrocchio.